Top CrossFitter happy to be back in Kelowna

By John McDonald

Brent Fikowski

Image Credit: CrossFit Games via Facebook

July 27, 2016 - 4:30 PM

FOURTH PLACE FINISH FOR LOCAL ATHLETE POSITIONS HIM WELL FOR NEXT YEAR

KELOWNA - Just three days after an impressive rookie performance at the CrossFit Games in Carson California, Brent Fikowski is back at his desk at Straw House Labs in Kelowna. Despite the wringer he’s just been through, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ll have a vacation in a few weeks, right now this is where I want to be,” he says.

Winners of the international event claim the title of Fittest on Earth. Fikowski came in forth (literally just two points behind another Canadian) and just shy of the podium at his very first Crossfit Games, winning outright four of the 15 events.

“I knew I had the potential to do well, probably the best shot as a rookie to place high, maybe even be the only rookie on the podium,” he says. “I didn’t feel any pressure from that. I thought it was cool that people thought of me that way. It was nice to prove them right.”

To make the jump, he will have to improve on his weaknesses, which for him is the weight-lifting side of CrossFit. A quietly confident Fikowski predicts he can.

“Since I’ve started it’s always been strength that’s held me back, deadlifting, squatting, presses. I think, based on my progression, I still have the potential to improve my weaknesses and maintain my strengths. I’ve shown I can do this, there’s no reason I can’t be on the podium at the end of the day,” Fikowski says.

One possible barrier is remaining injury free in the notoriously demanding sport, but Fikowski is confident about that, too.

“I’ve been able to maintain myself pretty injury free. I haven’t had any serious injuries in about 13 months,” he says. “It’s definitely a balance between doing too much and not enough. Hopefully, I can strike the right balance.”

To that end, he will now be entering the quiet phase of training, working out just once a day for about two and a half hours until January when he will begin adding extra workouts in preparation for next year’s regional games and the world games in July.

He is also sorting through the additional sponsorship offers that have come his way since Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old is basking in the well wishes of new fans and old supporters as well as friend and family.

“It sure was nice coming back and getting back to a routine,” he adds.

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